Cold front moves in, brings pea-size hail, ‘thundersleet’
Forecasters expect temperatures in 50s with no rain Monday.
A cold front that pushed into the Austin area Sunday brought another round of frigid winter weather, with light freezing rain, sleet and hail all falling in parts of Central Texas in the span of a few hours.
On Sunday, a winter weather advisory was issued for Burnet, Blanco, Kerr and other Hill Country counties, as freezing rain threatened drivers on the roads. In Williamson County, authorities reported ice had accumulated on some bridges.
The Austin area dodged the worst of the winter weather, since temperatures did not dip below freezing during the storms, which rolled into the area shortly before noon.
However, by afternoon, the National Weather Service was reporting small, pea-size hail falling in parts of the metro area, as sleet and light thunderstorms, dubbed “thundersleet” by meteorologists, pushed through Travis, Hays and Williamson counties. Forecasters called it a rare combination of a winter and spring storm.
“It was a mixed bag of winter precipitation and some thunder and lightning that was mixed in, too,” weather service meteorologist Jason Runyen said. “Basically you had the winter precipitation, freezing rain and sleet and you had the hail, too, which you typically see in the spring.”
The wintry mix of precipitation had ceased by late afternoon, with parts of Pflugerville
There is a 20 percent to 30 percent chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday.
picking up the most rain, or about 0.27 inches, according to Lower Colorado River Authority hydromet data. Austin only saw about 0.01 inches, the data shows.
Gauges at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport measured 31 degrees at their lowest Sunday morning — cold enough for the University of Texas to cancel its Texas Classic softball games at McCombs Field and Texas State University to cancel its Bobcat Classic softball games at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.
Weather service meteorologist Larry Hopper said the Austin area should not see any more rain Monday, when temperatures will ramp back up to the mid50s. “We do not anticipate any cold fronts until later in the week,” he said.
Mondays highs are forecast at 56 degrees, with 10 to 15 mph wind, the weather service said.
Cloud cover is expected to increase by nightfall, when temperatures are forecast to drop to a low around 44 degrees.
There is a slight chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday, at 20 to 30 percent, according to meteorologists. By Thursday, temperatures are forecast to return to a warm 78 degrees, before dropping again Friday, forecasters said.